Abstract
This paper presents and discusses the latest results of archaeological
research at the Vicus Augustanus, a small Roman town situated on the ancient coastline within the Castelporziano estate. Survey and excavation have established an overall chronology for the site and its physical development, from its foundation in the mid-Augustan period (c. 10 BC) to its abandonment, probably as the result of climate change, in the fifth century AD. A major phase of rebuilding and renewal in the mid 2nd century AD, with some further expansion in the early 3rd century, was followed by a period of decline and a
brief revival in the early 4th century, its fortunes apparently closely tied to the adjacent imperial estate of Laurentum. Topographical, geomorphological and paleobotanical studies have also examined the relationship between the Vicus’ built and natural environments, the evolution of the shoreline and other changes to the local landscape which took place during the Roman period, which could have affected the development of the town. Among the latter are the training of wild beasts for imperial hunts and the possibility of colonial settlement in the region under the emperors Vespasian, Trajan and Hadrian, not currently detectable on the ground. The paleobotanical evidence supports the likelihood of open, probably cultivated land for a distance of at least 200-250 metres to the rear of the Vicus, where an air photograph of 1954, taken prior to the modern forestation, indicates regular land divisions, of uncertain date but clearly aligned with the town, and of centuriated character. Epigraphic evidence suggests a change in status in the mid 2nd century AD, with the institution of an
honorific magistracy, and major imperial benefaction under the Severans, with which the archaeology agrees.
research at the Vicus Augustanus, a small Roman town situated on the ancient coastline within the Castelporziano estate. Survey and excavation have established an overall chronology for the site and its physical development, from its foundation in the mid-Augustan period (c. 10 BC) to its abandonment, probably as the result of climate change, in the fifth century AD. A major phase of rebuilding and renewal in the mid 2nd century AD, with some further expansion in the early 3rd century, was followed by a period of decline and a
brief revival in the early 4th century, its fortunes apparently closely tied to the adjacent imperial estate of Laurentum. Topographical, geomorphological and paleobotanical studies have also examined the relationship between the Vicus’ built and natural environments, the evolution of the shoreline and other changes to the local landscape which took place during the Roman period, which could have affected the development of the town. Among the latter are the training of wild beasts for imperial hunts and the possibility of colonial settlement in the region under the emperors Vespasian, Trajan and Hadrian, not currently detectable on the ground. The paleobotanical evidence supports the likelihood of open, probably cultivated land for a distance of at least 200-250 metres to the rear of the Vicus, where an air photograph of 1954, taken prior to the modern forestation, indicates regular land divisions, of uncertain date but clearly aligned with the town, and of centuriated character. Epigraphic evidence suggests a change in status in the mid 2nd century AD, with the institution of an
honorific magistracy, and major imperial benefaction under the Severans, with which the archaeology agrees.
| Translated title of the contribution | The Vicus Augustanus and the question of colonial settlement in the Ager Laurens |
|---|---|
| Original language | Italian |
| Title of host publication | Il sistema ambientale della Tenuta presidenziale di Castelporziano |
| Subtitle of host publication | Ricerche sulla complessit¬a di un ecosistema forestale costiero mediterraneo |
| Place of Publication | Rome |
| Publisher | Accademia nazional delle scienze detta dei XL |
| Pages | 889-992 |
| Number of pages | 33 |
| Volume | 62.3 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 03-91-4666 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-88-98075-42-3 |
| Publication status | Published - 10 Oct 2021 |
Publication series
| Name | Scritti e documenti |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Accademia Nazionale delle Scienze detta dei XL |
| Number | 3 |
| Volume | LXII (62) |
| ISSN (Print) | 978889807 |
| ISSN (Electronic) | 0391 |
Keywords
- Vicus, venatio, Castelporziano, archaeology, geonorphology
